Customer Reviews

Godzilla VS. Mechagodzilla II [VHS]

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wasn't exactly thrilled when Toho decided to pretend that all of the original Godzilla sequels never actually happened, but the new series of Godzilla films begun in the wake of Godzilla 1985 have all been excellent. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla holds the distinction of being the most tender and sad movie of the series. There are a number of tender moments sprinkled around all the great scenes of monster mayhem and model stomping. Ever mindful of Godzilla's constant threat, G Force has been established to find a way to ultimately defeat him; with the help of the future technology provided by the leftovers of King Ghidorah (from the previous movie), G Force has rebuilt the inimitable MechaGodzilla and fitted him with all kinds of nifty gadgets. While this is going on, two giant eggs, one of them unhatched, are found on a remote island; the scientific team at the site barely escape with the whole egg after being attacked by a Rodan-like prehistoric creature, he of the broken egg. Godzilla shows up at the same time and actually gets knocked around pretty good by the little Rodan, but the Big G always bounces right back. Meanwhile, back in Japan, the giant egg yields a cute little Godzillasaurus, a friendlier cousin to Godzilla's own breed.

You just have to love little "Baby." While he does look a little strange, he is not the ridiculous-looking son of Godzilla from the original series. There's really something of a human component to Baby, which certainly made my heart go out to him. He immediately becomes attached to the young lady scientist taking care of him, and the fear, confusion, and fright he feels on a number of occasions is made manifest by his total body language as well as the red glow that comes into his eyes when he is distressed. He even brings out the good side of Rodan and Godzilla, both of whom basically fight over and because of him. The ending is particularly poignant, but I won't spoil it for anyone. I imagine that a few moviegoers may have sat through the credits trying to hide the evidence of a few tears on their cheeks.

There is still plenty of destruction to be found here, so don't go thinking Godzilla has turned into a great big softie. The Big G enjoys stomping and destroying as much as he ever has, little Rodan blows plenty of buildings and people away himself, and MechaGodzilla throws everything but the kitchen sink at both of the monsters. The story is actually pretty compelling, despite the fact that a number of characters jump to a fair number of ludicrous (yet amazingly correct) conclusions. I had to laugh when the scientists here suddenly announced their finding that Godzilla had a second brain, located in the area that most likely first pops into your mind - that addition to the mythology I could definitely have done without. I have both the Japanese version with subtitles and the dubbed version, and I found the dubbing to be pretty good in this case. There is one awful American actor who could not act his way out of a dark room with a flashlight, but he looks bad in both versions. I still believe that Godzilla vs Mothra: Battle For Earth is the best movie from this newer Godzilla timeline, but Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla II is not far behind it in terms of the entertainment value. A stomping good time will be had by all fans of the big lizard in this 1993 release.

Holy monkey! I just got this movie for Christmas and I loved every second of it! I was on the edge of my seat from the opening credits with the wreackage of Mecha King Ghidora to the haunting melody of the children singing at the end. Reintroducing many characters including MechaGodzilla, now built by the UNGCC, Rodan (now called Radon but that's OK), Baby Godzilla (who could kill Minya any day) and Godzilla is back, bigger and better than before. Here is the story: an egg has been spotted on an island. Suspected to be Rodan's egg, it turns out to be an infant Godzillasaur. Well, Godzilla comes to Tokyo looking for his kid. Problem is, so does Rodan, bringing the biggest custody battle on the planet! MechaGodzilla, built by the UNGCC to kill Godzilla, paralyzes Godzilla and.....you'll have to see the rest so you can see just how magnificent this movie is. MechaG with Garuda on it's back and Godzilla's new breath weapon was very impressive. This is a must for any and all Godzilla fans!

Saturday, February 12, 2005 / 3 of 5 / Sort of middle of the road.
We're getting close to having the full Godzilla collection on DVD, with this release only Biollante and Godzilla Raids again are left to release. Studying Mecha-King Ghidorah technology scientists craft the original Mecha-Godzilla, and once put into action it really clobbers Godzilla. As usual though, it breaks down and all he has to do is knock it over. This film also introduces Baby Godzilla and secondarily Rodan who seems content to tag along for the action. I thought the effects weren't quite up to some of the later in the series and even those from the prior couple Hisei movies. The back story wasn't too compelling either, following a Pteranadon loving pilot who labored on the failed Garuda project and now makes eyes at Baby's babysitter. Still for completeists sake it was a nice Godzilla romp.

Since, like certain reviewers have said, I had Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II way before the dubbed version. But, actually the Japanese version, with English subtitles, is always better than the dubbed version, since you understand the plot better. But, anyways, onto the movie. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II has got to be one of the best of the series. Excellent music, fight scenes, and special effects are just some of the good areas of the movie. Godzilla is better looking than ever, and if you can tell, for both movies after this (Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla & Godzilla vs. Destroyah) they used this Godzilla suit and not a newer one. MechaGodzilla is another good looking monster, much better than in the 1975 and 1977 movies, since its more rounder and has better attacks, like the Shock Cables and the Plasma Weapon, than the older MechGodzilla. MechaGodzilla also has a excellent roar, if you pay attention, and acctually sounds like a robot. Rodan is also good in this one with a better suit, but like most flying monsters, not the best that could have been done. Another excellent part of this movie is the music by Akira Ifukube. Ifukube has some of his best music in here from the older movies, and some excellent newer music like MechaGodzilla's theme and the G-Force theme. To round up this review, the models in this movie are also a highlight, especially the night battle towards the end of the movie. Overall, a excellent movie and a must for any Godzilla fan.

This is not a review of the movie. This is information of the picture presentation. First off, be advised the Heisei series was NOT filmed in 2.35:1 ratio.So do not expect the long panoramic view. The widescreen is more than likely as true as possible. I have painstakingly compared VHS to DVD, back and forth every 30 seconds,observing left,right,top,and bottom of picture.The DVD offers more picture than the VHS.IT IS NOT CROPPED.Plus it is clear and sharp. NO SCRATCHES! A really nice treat is seeing some of the Japanese actors operating Mechagodzilla actually speaking english(NOT DUBBED) when audio is set to Japanese. Another good thing about the Japanese audio is that it spares us the annoying BEBBAY BEBBAY from the English audio which is supposed to be "BABY" So my fellow GODZILLA fans I hope I cleared up your fears of cropped picture or anything else that may have been concern.If this a title you want,go and buy it.You won't be disapointed.

This is probably the best in the "Heisei" Godzilla series. Plenty of special effects action, good characterizations and great music. The tape I have was recorded in sp mode, so the sound and picture quality is first-rate. And, if you have a Dolby surround sound system, it will knock your socks off! A "must have" for G-Fans!

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was an awesome movie I loved it when godzilla used his new red spiral atomic ray to blow Super-Mechagodzilla to pieces and I think that mechagodzilla should have appeared more often in the movie.

This was the last of the Heisei movies that I had yet to see. It was worth the wait! Director Takao Okawara does a superb job, wringing all the drama he can from each scene. In fact, some of his directing style is reminiscent of a certain guy named Speilberg. Godzilla is in virtually the entire movie, which was a big plus to me. Seeing the return of Rodan and MechaGodzilla as the powerful foe for this movie was wonderful, as well. The special effects, fight scenes, and action are all the best Heisei has to offer. Non-Godzilla fans can watch and enjoy this film. That's how good I think it is. "G vs. Destroyer" was the best until I saw this one. This one is truly the best!

I'll examine this movie part by part.

-The script. For once, a Godzilla movie with a plot! This served as a very nice way to re-introduce us to some old friends.

-The SFX. Even better then in "Godzilla vs. Destoroyah." Godzilla's ray, Rodan's flight, MechaGodzilla's arsenal... You can't top these.

-The monsters. Aside from the Big G himself, we have his cybernetic duplicate, his possible offspring, and a huge, mutated pteranadon named Rodan, my favorite monster of all time.

-The actors. Not as much horrible over-acting as we usually get in Godzilla movies.

This scores high in every category!

-Thanos6

I particularly like this film. It was originally intended to be the last of the Heisei series, with an American version scheduled for pre-production. However, we all know what happened with that, so Toho decided to have Godzilla survive until the situation with the American producers could be resolved. Scientists uncover two prehistoric eggs on Adona Island in the Bering Sea, of which one hatches into Rodan, who is somewhat disapointingly portrayed. Rodan acts as a protectorate of the other unhatched egg, which is attracting Godzilla to Adona Island. When G arrives, he engages Rodan, who is trying to protect what he thinks is his brother. In the meanwhile, the scientists narrowly escape, with the egg in tow. Godzilla is victorious, and Rodan is left for dead. When the scienists arrive back in Japan, they begin studying what they believe is a pteradon egg, in conjuntion with G-Force and Miki Saegusa, the psychic from the previous three films. They are very suprised when the egg hatches a godzillasaurus, the creature from which Godzilla was mutated. It is named Baby, and looks kind of like a green rubber ducky with sharp teeth. They are also surprised when they realize that Godzilla has a psychic attraction to the egg and has followed them to Tokyo. Godzilla destroys half of the city before he is confronted by Mchagodzilla, a new weapon created by the UNGCC as a countermeasure against G. It was developed using analysis of 23rd century cybertronics from the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah. The fight sequence is cool, and G wins as a reult of the all-to-familiar "malfunction" on the part of Mechagodzilla. As Godzilla coninues his search for the egg, the scientists uncover a "second brain" located at the base of Baby's spine, and deduce that Godzilla must have the same anatomy, therefore, that is how they will defeat him. They begin repairs on MechaG, making it battle-worthy by combining it with Garuda, the first, failed, attempt at a weapon against Godzilla. They plan on luring G away from Tokyo, using Baby as bait, to an uninhabited island called Baas Island, where they will destroy his second brain. Unfortunately for them, Baby is scared and sends, somehow, for Rodan, who has survived an been mutated as a result of it's contact with Godzilla. Rodan kidnaps Baby, and Mechagodzilla, Godzilla, and Rodan engage in a "fight to the death" for fate of Japan, and Baby. Anyhow, all this is wrapped around a gratuitous drama involving a pteradactyl-loving G-force researcher, Miki Saegusa, and Baby's adpoted mother, a student named Gojo. The SFX are sometimes excellent, sometimes horrible, but they come off averaging out at pretty good, for a Heisei offering. I think Mechagodzilla looks great, despite the questionable "diamond coating." It didn't work on the SX2, why would it work now? Godzilla lokks very strong and fierce, even though they coninued to use the high-pitched "Godzilla vs. Mothra" roar instead of the deep, frightening, "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" roar. The Ifukube Akira score is superb, tying in elements of some of his best work of the series, including the "Destroy All Monsters" score. This film is far superior to both it's predeccessor, "Godzilla vs. Mothra", and it's successor, "Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla," which is absolutely awful. Overall, a must-have for any true Godzilla fan. Very entertaining.